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Overcoming

Misconceptions

Presentation compiled by

Katryn Wiese

For June 2012 Teaching Environmental

Geology Workshop

5/30/2012

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Which of these is true?

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and

Others Die – Chip and Dan Heath, January 2,

2007

Children have died from

eating Halloween candy

tainted with drugs or toxins.

The Great Wall of China can

be seen from space.

We

use

only

10% of

our

brain.

Unsticking an idea

We can’t.

“We should fight sticky with stickier,

meet Scotch tape with duct tape.”

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die – Chip and Dan Heath, January 2, 2007

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What makes ideas sticky?

Audience must be able to:

Pay attention

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die – Chip and Dan Heath, January 2, 2007

UNEXPECTED

MYSTERY

“…people are, in

fact, more likely

to keep thinking

about a movie

when they can’t

explain what

happened to the

main character.”

From Stumbling on Happiness, Daniel

Gilbert, 2006

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How do sea otters stay warm in seawater when

they have no blubber?

What makes ideas sticky

Audience must be able to:

Pay attention

UNEXPECTED – CURIOSITY

Understand and remember

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die – Chip and Dan Heath, January 2, 2007

CONCRETE

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Sea otter fur contains, per square inch,

10 times the hair on an average human

head.

What makes ideas sticky?

Audience must be able to:

Pay attention

UNEXPECTED – CURIOSITY

Understand and remember

CONCRETE

Agree/believe

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die – Chip and Dan Heath, January 2, 2007

CREDIBLE

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Sea otter fur contains, per square inch,

10 times the hair on an average human

head.

K-Dutton-cleaning-an-oiled-sea-otter-pelt – http://www.defendersblog.org/2010/11/how-do-you-de-oil-

a-polar-bear/.

What makes ideas sticky?

Audience must be able to:

Pay attention

UNEXPECTED – CURIOSITY

Understand and remember

CONCRETE

Agree/believe CREDIBLE

Care

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die – Chip and Dan Heath, January 2, 2007

EMOTIONAL

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Sea otter fur contains, per square inch,

10 times the hair on an average human

head.

What makes ideas sticky?

Audience must be able to:

Pay attention

UNEXPECTED – CURIOSITY

Understand and remember

CONCRETE

Agree/believe CREDIBLE

Care EMOTIONAL

Become part of it – engage

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die – Chip and Dan Heath, January 2, 2007

STORY

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Sea otter fur contains, per square inch,

10 times the hair on an average human

head.

Monterey Bay images – from author’s trip – 2010.

Debunking Method

Create a gap

to generate

curiosity

Fill the gap

with answers

to questions

Generating Curiosity

Create a

gap with

the facts

Fill the gap with

an alternative

explanation

http://www.skepticalscience.com/docs/Debunking_Handbook.pdf

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CHALLENGES?

Familiarity details of debunking fade, but headlines stick

http://www.skepticalscience.com/docs/Debunking_Handbook.pdf

http://www.skepticalscience.com/docs/Debunking_Handbook.pdf

FOCUS FIRST AND STRONGLY ON FACTS On guard: MYTH IS COMING!

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CHALLENGES?

Overkill – too many arguments against myth reinforces

myth, because it’s harder to accept,

remember, grasp

http://www.skepticalscience.com/docs/Debunking_Handbook.pdf

MYTH

FACT FACT FACT

FACT FACT FACT

FACT FACT FACT

FACT FACT FACT

MYTH

MYTH

FACT FACT FACT

FACT FACT FACT

FACT FACT FACT

FACT FACT FACT

MYTH

MYTH

FACT

FACT

FACTFACT

http://www.skepticalscience.com/docs/Debunking_Handbook.pdf

KEEP IT SIMPLE!

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CHALLENGES?

Know your audience

Curse of knowledge &

lack of a common language

CHALLENGES? Issues challenge world view / identity Attitude bolstering: bring supporting facts to

mind, ignoring contrary facts

http://www.skepticalscience.com/docs/Debunking_Handbook.pdf

Frame

messages

to affirm

worldview.

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YOUR RESOURCES

Teaching Activities

Cherry picking

data and what it

leads to (real-life,

personal

examples, such as

exams)

Debunking/finding

flaws in movies

http://www.skepticalscience.com/docs/Debunking_Handbook.pdf

+ More shared ideas, including some from fellow

participants including:Suki Smaglik and Leah Joseph

Unsticking an idea

We can’t.

“We should fight sticky with stickier,

meet Scotch tape with duct tape.”

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die – Chip and Dan Heath, January 2, 2007

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Teaching that sticks: Simple (three core concepts you want

everyone to remember)

Unexpected (lighting a fire of curiosity)

Concrete

Credible (experience it first hand, show

statistics)

Emotion (not just facts, but experiences,

explosions, smells, sounds)

Story (any and all engage students and

makes it more memorable)

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die – Chip and Dan Heath, January 2, 2007 Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die – Chip and Dan Heath, January 2, 2007

Source: data from NASA GISS

Temperature trend 1880-2009

Myth Debunking – John Cook – CLEAN Workshop – 4/4/2012